Chapter 58

（Fourth update!~~~~~~~~~~）

In response to Du Peng's evaluation, Zhou Ming merely smiled slightly and said nothing. This attitude made Du Peng even more impressed with him.

Du Peng thought for a moment and asked Zhou Ming, "Then why are you telling me this? Are you trying to talk to me about the cotton business?"

Zhou Ming shook his head and said, "Sorry, I don't have a textile factory, and I don't have the capacity to take on your batch of goods. I want to talk to you about a different business."

"What other business?" Du Peng was very curious.

"Land." Zhou Ming said a word that was completely unfamiliar to Du Peng, "Do you know about the vacant land in the Dongmen San Yuan area?"

Du Peng nodded, saying he knew. Zhou Ming continued, "Then how many connections do you have in Nanjiang? Can you buy this piece of land?"

"So the business you're talking about is buying land?" Du Peng was surprised, "Are you crazy? If you were really from Hongcheng, I could understand you saying this, but you're from the mainland. How can you even say such things? All the land in the country is collectively owned. How can we privately buy and sell it? This is undermining the collective, and it's going back to the old feudal landlords' ways! I can pretend I didn't hear what you just said."

Zhou Ming, however, was not flustered: "If I'm not mistaken, the central government has already been studying housing reform policies at the beginning of this year. Last month, the Nanjiang municipal government also sold a piece of land next to Nangang Avenue to an airline, didn't they?"

"But that was a collective selling to a collective. We are individuals, and the nature is different," Du Peng said.

"Using your words, if you were really a low-educated farmer working in Nanjiang, I could understand you saying this, but you are General Du's grandson, someone who can access high-level national policies. How can you still say this?" Zhou Ming said, "The central government is currently carrying out reform and opening up. To truly achieve the desired effects of reform and opening up, we must break old concepts and let the market economy take the lead. In this process, land is a very important part. To revitalize the economy, land must be liberalized."

Du Peng stared at Zhou Ming in amazement: "What you said is exactly the same as what the economic experts in the State Council say. You can't be a student of one of those experts, can you?"

"My family's conditions were poor, and my college entrance exam scores weren't that good, so I didn't have the chance to study in Yanjing," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng thought for a moment and said, "If the policy really allows it, and the land you're interested in can indeed be sold, and you can provide enough money, I can try to find a way. But are you planning to develop the land and build commercial housing?"

This time, Zhou Ming's answer shocked Du Peng again: "Building commercial housing is a good idea, and I believe that in the near future, the housing prices in Nanjiang will experience a crazy surge. Maybe one day they will reach 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per square meter."

"10,000 to 20,000 yuan per square meter? That's absolutely impossible. It's completely insane to make it so expensive that ordinary people can't afford it, driving them to the brink of ruin!" Du Peng firmly denied.

As someone who had witnessed the housing prices in the future, Zhou Ming could only chuckle at Du Peng's words. After all, the limitations of the era were there. It was like asking someone with a monthly income of only a few hundred yuan to believe that housing prices would reach 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per square meter, which was simply a fairy tale.

"Let's not talk about that. Although I believe that the housing prices in Nanjiang will experience a sharp rise in the future, I don't plan to develop commercial housing because I don't have the time to wait for the construction to be completed. I want to make money from this land as soon as possible," Zhou Ming said.

"If you're not planning to build houses, how do you plan to make money from the land?" Du Peng was completely puzzled.

"Sell it directly, auction it," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng was completely stunned by Zhou Ming's answer: "You mean you will get the land and then resell it without any development? Can you really make money just by reselling this vacant land?"

Zhou Ming nodded firmly: "Yes, if we have a bit of luck, we should be able to make about two million yuan."

"Two million yuan?"

Du Peng found it hard to believe because in the past few years, even if he didn't lose money in his dealings, he could only make about 100,000 yuan at most. But Zhou Ming said he could make two million yuan with one move. The difference was too great and too hard to accept.

However, Du Peng thought of another issue here and asked Zhou Ming, "You said you can make two million yuan by reselling the land. How much do you think we can buy this land for?"

Zhou Ming said, "It's hard to say, but if we follow the airline's method, it should be around three to four million yuan."

"Three to four million yuan? Where do I have that much money?" Du Peng exclaimed.

"You don't, but I do," Zhou Ming said, "You provide the connections, and I provide the money. That's what it means to do business together, right? Afterward, we split the profits fifty-fifty."

Du Peng slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering that he was sitting in front of a millionaire: "I forgot about that."

Zhou Ming smiled slightly: "Actually, the one or two million yuan isn't the main issue. What I really want is to build mutual trust through this business because I have some matters that will require your help."

Du Peng had an expression as if he had known this all along: "This is probably your real intention, right? As long as it's not something that goes against the party and the country, I can help you find a way."

"You misunderstood. I'm not talking about that. I know that the 760 Factory in Linyang City, Jingchu Province, is undergoing restructuring. I want to see if you can introduce me to some influential officials," Zhou Ming said.

This answer surprised Du Peng: "The 760 Factory? What does it do? Is it a factory with great potential that can make millions in the future?"

"Not really. I'm not sure if the factory can make money, but I must buy it because my home is in Linyang, and my parents are workers at this factory. I promised them to buy the factory and give it to them to be the managers. Also, there is someone in the factory I really dislike, and I want to fire him," Zhou Ming said. In his heart, Zhou Ming also had another reason: to fulfill a promise to Su Han.

Du Peng really didn't know what to say. If Zhou Ming's previous words had just surprised him, then this statement made him feel as if his head was about to explode. At this moment, Du Peng felt that he and Zhou Ming were not living in the same world. He felt that Zhou Ming was the one from a red family, while he was just an ordinary person. If not, how could he not understand Zhou Ming's words?

Du Peng rubbed his temples and said to Zhou Ming, "The provincial governor of Jingchu, Xiong, came to my house to pay respects to my grandfather during the New Year. I have his phone number. Just to buy a restructured factory, if he can make a call to Linyang City, it should be fine."

Zhou Ming nodded. The 760 Factory was just a county-level factory, and the competition for restructuring and buying it would mostly be from city-level connections. With the provincial government's involvement, he should have no problem acquiring it.

"Which business should we do first? Should I contact Governor Xiong first, or should we start with the land business?" Du Peng asked.

"The restructuring of the 760 Factory is still in the initial planning stage. It will take some time before it really starts. Let's start with the business in Nanjiang first, so you can have more confidence in me," Zhou Ming said.

In Zhou Ming's memory, the restructuring of the 760 Factory started before the New Year. In his previous life, due to intense competition, it took more than half a year to get a result, so there was no need to rush. Additionally, Zhou Ming had always kept in touch with his parents and Zhang Lei, and Su Han occasionally called, so he had a general understanding of the situation at home.

"Alright, I'll go to the municipal government to gather information. If it's possible, we can register a company together," Du Peng said.

"No problem," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng then exchanged pager numbers with Zhou Ming and rushed to the municipal government to find connections and gather information.

Watching Du Peng leave, Tang Ran was puzzled and asked, "Brother Ming, can this guy really help you buy the land?"

"Didn't you see in the mall? He can make a phone call to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, so his identity is probably genuine. Besides, land transactions are still in the experimental stage, with little competition, so it shouldn't be a problem," Zhou Ming said.

"But he seems very unreliable," Tang Ran said.

"Ran Ran, why do you think he's unreliable?" Zhou Ming was curious.

"Because he doesn't understand anything you say! He's so stupid!" Tang Ran said.

This answer made Zhou Ming burst out laughing: "If Du Peng heard you say that, he would probably faint in the toilet."

Zhou Ming explained to Tang Ran, "Ran Ran, you can't judge their thoughts based on our way of thinking. We can do anything that makes money because we are just ordinary people. But they are different. Although I haven't lived their life, I imagine that before they do anything, they must consider their family's opinion, or whether they can do it, and what impact it will have on their family, and whether they will be taken advantage of. They can't act blindly without considering these things."

Zhou Ming concluded about Du Peng: "So, to put it this way, as a child of the elite, Du Peng can understand to this extent and dare to put it into practice, which is already quite impressive. If I were to choose someone a bit more conservative, I might have to talk myself hoarse today, and he still might not understand what I'm saying, or even if he understood, he wouldn't dare to partner with me in this business. Otherwise, with the resources and wealth that so many children of the elite have, how could ordinary people have the chance to start from scratch?"

Tang Ran said, "Oh, I see. So this guy is actually somewhat capable."

For Tang Ran's evaluation, Zhou Ming could only shake his head helplessly. However, Zhou Ming understood that women and men look at people from different perspectives and with different emotions, especially since Tang Ran idolized him so much. Even if Du Peng hadn't yet shown the capabilities of a future billionaire entrepreneur, even if he did, Tang Ran would still look down on him.

Thinking about this, Zhou Ming patted Tang Ran's little head and said, "Of course, you may not have confidence in Du Peng, but at least you should have confidence in my judgment!"